I’m reminded that there is no part of my thinking that takes place outside of tradition; there is no reasoning that I do in an objective sense. The way that I engage in critical thinking is traditional–meaning, it is a method of critical thinking unique to the cultures in which I have been taught.
I believe that some traditions of reason are better than others. I believe that individuals trained in the art of one reasoning tradition can effectively converse and even learn from those trained in other traditions. I believe there is an existential commonality that provides the groundwork for communication across traditions.
I believe it is dangerous, to say the least, to act like there are aspects of our reason that are outside the influence of tradition–to believe that there is a section of our understanding that is accepted a priori as objectively and undeniably true, and worse yet to maintain complete certainty about such reason. This is especially egregious when this supposedly certain type of reason is employed to critique relgious practice and faith.